Iran protests to FIFA over provocative armband plan at soccer match in US
Iran’s minister of sports and youth says the Islamic Republic will not compromise its religious beliefs over plans requiring the Iranian and Egyptian team captains to wear armbands representing sexually deviant groups at their 2026 World Cup match, stressing that Tehran has filed a formal protest with FIFA.
The protest comes after reports that, in the Iran vs. Egypt soccer match scheduled for June 26, 2026 in Seattle, team captains need to wear the armbands. Both Iran and Egypt have rejected the decision as incompatible with their religious and cultural values.
In remarks on Wednesday, Minister Ahmad Donyamali confirmed that Tehran has formally protested the reported designation for the match between Iran’s Team Melli and Egypt national football team in Seattle.
“We make no concessions to anyone when it comes to our beliefs,” he stressed, emphasizing that Iran has also coordinated with Egypt to take joint action against such a provocative decision.
The Egyptian Football Association has also objected to the decision, increasing pressure on FIFA to take both cultural values and the organizers’ plans into account.
Iranian officials have stressed that FIFA must respect the values of every participating country, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will uphold its principles firmly while ensuring Team Melli competes with dignity and strength at the tournament.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Donyamali condemned US failure to issue visas for Iranian football officials invited to the 2026 World Cup draw.
The minister said that any host government is obliged to respect the Olympic and FIFA charters by providing equal conditions for all participants, recalling Washington’s “unreliability,” as repeatedly described by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Donyamali added that Iran is mobilizing all agencies to support Team Melli over the next six months so that “our players will perform successfully and we will not allow Iran’s standing to be undermined.”
“We will head into the competitions with a very strong line-up,” he stressed.
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